B. B. King: [V/O] Everything lead me back to the feeling of the blues or the feeling I get from playing or singing the blues or hearing others singing it. In fact I think life itself is the blues. The earliest sounds [On camera] of the blues that I can remember was in the fields while people would be picking cotton, chopping cotton or something.[Strums guitar] Usually one guy would be plowing by himself, [Strum guitar] or maybe one guy would take his hoe and chop way out in front of everybody else. And usually you would hear this guy sing. [11]

B. B. King: [V/O] The blues did have its roots and still does in the prison. To me I think this is how the blues actually started. [28][29]

Ben Gooch: [30] [Close shot of Gooch's face] When I first came here it was 1934, November the 5th. Parchman. Parchman. It was pretty tough then. You had to go ahead. Whatever he had you doing you had to run with it. [Gooch sits with belongings on table beside him] I was rode so hard, when it came time to go eat dinner I couldn't eat with a spoon or nothing. The food would just shake off, been so nervous you know.

[Close shot of Gooch's face] [V/O] But I made it. I made it through all right. Far as I know they doing okay, all but my wife. Me and her are not together now. When I got in trouble she went on up the country. Where she at I don't know. I try to keep her from rolling across my mind. [Visuals of Gooch's thumb rubbing his ankle, close up of face and a shoeshine box in his cell] I just go off to myself and try to forget it. Sometime I get my old shoeshine box here. Shine somebody's shoes and make me thirty or forty cents, and I'm all right in the world. I'll get back up on my feet. [Sitting in chair] Get me a little cigarettes and things. So I'm making it pretty good. Yes sir, ain't got no kicks coming.

Well when you're working and you're singing, it makes you get your mind off everything else and get it on your work. {Close upshot of Blood's face] Older fellas was here before I got here. And I heard them singing so I just start helping then sing.

[Music][Singing] [Shots of prisoners chopping cotton, taking a water break and being watched by a guard]

Shelby "Poppa Jazz" Brown: [34][Overlapping with audio of prisoners singing]: [V/O] Why do you think they play the blues in Mississippi? [Close up of Brown's face] Because of the way they used to plow, folks here chop cotton at daylight and in the morning. They would get out there and work so hard they be even looking at the sun. Saying, "Horry, hurry sundown, let tomorrow shine." They wanted the sun to go down so they could stop working, they worked so hard. They learned the blues from that. And then they learned the blues from the women. You can get the blues about a woman, you go to kissing and hug her, and won't see her for three or four night looking for her. You can get the blues there. Understand me now? You touch one up like that will give you the blues now. And Mississippi got more of it than anywhere. That's why all the blues people come here singin' the blues.

[Scenes of musicians and audience inside a small country store] [James Thomas, seated, plays guitar in front of the meat counter] [35][36]

James "Son Ford" Thomas: Women's what gives you the blues. A woman tell you, say, "I love you," and all that and you go and find out she's loving somebody else. Well you can't have nothin' but the blues. I was working in the, uh, log field until the cotton got big enough to chop and I come in that evening. I had bought her a pack of cigarettes. I never will forget that. And uh a little boy told me, say, "Your wife gone." And I got sick all at once. I said, "She carried all her clothes." I said, "I know it, boy. Get away from here." But that hurts you though.

[Close up of Son Thomas' hands forming chords] [Music][Guitar][Blues][38]

Everything here is the blues. It goes back to feelings. How you feel today. You know blues has always been something that you don't have to be black to have the blues. You can have blues, wake up in the morning and something is blue on you-you understand what I'm talking about? Around your bed, and you done got blue, you understand?

[Robert Shaw stands before shelves with hats stocked on them] Your old lady just quit you and you're blue. [Laughs] So you understand what I'm talking about? I know you've had the blues. Have you ever had the blues? I'm sure you've had the blues sometime or another in your life. Like when your girlfriend quit you. You thought you was in love and she was in love, and all at once you found out she's gone and you're gone. You say, "Man, I'm sad here, and I'm blue."

[Camera moves between close and wide shots of Shaw talking animatedly]

You understand, that's what it is, uh huh. Everybody gets the blues, huh? It's sho'nuff the blues. If you wake up in the morning and don't have no money in your pocket and you can't get a loaf of bread, ain't you blue? [Laughs] And the baby crying too? [Laughs]

Now I'm going to tell you about the life of the blues. Now this is the blues: [44]

B. B. King: [Close-up of B.B.'s guitar] [V/O] Whenever I would sing and have these people gather around me like they did, then this seemed to me as family. This is another thing that make the blues singer and the blues musician continue to go on because this is his way of crying out to people.